In my upper stretches, above the confluence of the Rio Negro,
I am called Solimões. In Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador,
Because of my peculiar geography,

I am called by my given name, Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen Bezos.
Because of my vast dimensions, I am also called The River Sea.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I drain from west to east, from Iquitos in Peru, across Brazil to the Atlantic,
Which I enter at only one-fifth of my volume.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I gather my waters from 5 degrees north
To 20 degrees south latitudes. My most remote sources are found,
Because of my peculiar geography,

On the inter-Andean plateau, a short distance from the Pacific Ocean.
As a toddler, I tried to dismantle my crib.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I spent summers at my grandfather's ranch in Texas, laying pipe,
Vaccinating cattle, and fixing windmills. I was high school valedictorian.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I rigged an electric alarm to keep my siblings out of my room.
I attended Princeton. I earned a B.S.E. Summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I was President of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.
The locals referred to me as El Jefe Negro, an ancient god of fertility.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I wanted to build space hotels, amusement parks, and colonies
For 2 million or 3 million people who would be in orbit.
Because of my peculiar geography,

My goal was to evacuate humans. The whole idea was to preserve the earth.
Every year I rise more than 9 metres, and I flood the surrounding forests,
Because of my peculiar geography.

In 1999 I was Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” and in 2012,
Shares in me defied gravity, adding $6.5 billion to my net worth, all
Because of my peculiar geography.

My annual floods are caused by tidal waves called pororoca.
The waves occur in late winter, at high tide, when the Atlantic Ocean,
Because of my peculiar geography,

Overlaps me. The Atlantic has sufficient wave and tidal energy
To carry most of my sediments out to sea—I do not form a true delta.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I push a vast plume of fresh water into the turbulent Atlantic.
I spent $42 million to fund The Clock of the Long Now.
Because of my peculiar geography,

Designed to last 10,000 years, Blue Origin, a human space-flight
Start-up meant to help anybody go into space, was my secret.
Because of my peculiar geography,

Blue Origin lost an unmanned prototype during a short-hop test flight.
This loss revealed, for the first time,
Because of my peculiar geography,

Just how far I have advanced. It was not the outcome I wanted,
But I’ve signed up for this to be hard. I personally donated,
Because of my peculiar geography,

Millions to pass same-sex marriage. I purchased The Washington Post.
Where my mouth is located, and how wide it is, is a matter of dispute,
Because of my peculiar geography.

The purchase was personal. The planet will become a park.
This is uncharted terrain. It will require experimentation.
Because of my peculiar geography,

I am a happy-go-lucky mogul, a notorious micromanager,
An executive who wants to know about everything.
Because of my peculiar geography,

More than one-third of all species live in my tropical forest.
I support crabs, algae, and turtles. The caiman also inhabits me.
Because of my peculiar geography,

Navigation of me was at first confined to the main river.
Then The Washington Post published a long-form profile, for which,
Because of my peculiar geography,

I declined to be interviewed. This was the first step
In opening up my vast interior. An expedition I funded,
Because of my peculiar geography,

Has recovered two powerful Saturn V first-stage F-1 rocket engines
From the Atlantic. The Harvard Business Review ranked me,
Because of my peculiar geography,

The second-best CEO in the world, after Steve Jobs of Apple.
The anaconda is found in the shallow waters of my basin.
Because of my peculiar geography

The anaconda spends most of its time in the water,
Just its nostrils above the surface.



This poem previously appeared in The Glasgow Review and the shortbook collection Relentless by Jeff Bezos.